Culture of Jiaozi
2 min readJiaozi is a common Chinese du- mpling which generally consists of min-ced meat and finely chopped vegetables wrapped into a piece of thin and elastic dough skin. Popular meat fillings include ground pork,ground beef,ground chicken,shrimp,and even fish.
Popular mixtures include pork with Chinese cabbage,pork with garlic chives,pork and shrimp with vegetables,pork with spring onion,garlic chives with scrambled eggs.Filling mixtures vary depending on personal tastes and regions.
In northern China,dumplings are commonly eaten with a dipp- ing sauce made of vinegar and chili oil or paste,and occasionally with some soy sauce added in.
Jiaozi is usually boiled or steamed and continues to be a tradi- tional dish eaten on Chinese New Year’s Eve,the evening before Chinese New Year,and special family reunions.Extended family members may gather together to make dumplings,and it is also eat.
Legend has it that Zhang Zhongjing,who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty 1800 years ago,invented Chinese dumplings. One day in winter,Zhang noticed that many poor villagers’ears were frostbitten when he returned to his hometown.He decided to wrap mutton,chilli and some warming medicinal herbs in dough skin.Folding them into the shape of an ear,he boiled them in water before giving them to the poor.The villagers soon fully recovered from their illness.
This food was originally called “Jiao’er”for its shape,and later the name slowly became”Jiaozi” Zhang used to distribute them from the day of Winter Solstice to New Year’s Eve,and Chinese dumplings became popular.
Today,Jiaozi is still a must in winter in most parts of northern China,especially during the Spring Festival.No words can precisely describe Chinese people’s affection for dumplings,as the food has already become a symbol of home and warmth.Chinese dumpling Is also popular in other Chinese holidays,so it is a part of the Chinese culture or tradition.
